I have not tried that with any of my kids yet although I have done it. It really does make a difference in my skin and how I feel. My mom toaught me about it. I was worried that their skin might be too new to do it with. I will look into it. I had thought about it with my 11 yr old DD

__________________Kristi- Wife to Claudio and homeschooling SAHM to 4kids

can you tell me a little more on how you do this? i think it might help my daughter that has aspergers a lot. thanks!!

__________________

Alli, mama to Nevaeh (2 1/2 born at 33 weeks), Bryley (1 1/2 born at 33 weeks) ^*twin angels*^, AND twinBOYSRyder and Cannon (May 12, 2008 at 34 weeks) Family issues - I will not be around except as needed...Please email me if you need me. Crayon testers will all be out by the end of the week

We just started a "brushing" program today with DS. I am amazed at the effect it has on calming him. He almost goes into a zone!

I was wondering if anyone else "brushes" their DC and what their experiences have been.

How long have you been doing this, and how often do you brush your DC?

Thanks so much!

I've never followed any "techique", just what works with my kids.

Sensory brushing like that was taught to me by the parents of the boy with Asperger syndrome, who I was a nanny for. He really liked it a lot. My son never got into that, but a calming back rub always did the trick with him.

With my babies, when they were upset or working themselves up, I would gently slide my finger down the bridge of their nose repetitively. I also would hold them upside down or look at them from a different angle to mix things up; they loved this! Also, if they need "redirection", I would gentle blow air onto their skin. All of these things led to what my son now calls the "dreamy" look.

Also, when my kids would work themselves up, I would match their volume of voice with an inverse volume. So if they were crying hard, I would sing to them very, very lightly; they had to stop crying to hear what I was doing. Worked like a charm.

Rocking is another great source of sensory input. It doesn't have to be huge motion, but just the motion itself.

I'll look into it, but I have a feeling someone finally just put a name to what a lot of us do out of instinct.

I don't know if there is a more specific technique, but we used to use these types of brushes to brush long strokes down the arms or legs, maybe the back, of the kids.

We also had a weighted blanket for him, "spiky" balls, and a rubbermaid tub filled with rice, lentils, dried beans, dried corn; anything you can think of that is completely dried. Then we put sandbox toys in them so the kids could play. This was VERY popular; just hope the vacuum doesn't break!!!

My son also loves the play tubes (I got one at Target for $20). He also has a square of cork board that he glued a bunch of different textures to (macaroni noodles, cotton balls, sand, little ceramic tiles...anything to have something to feel).

We also bought simple things like slinkies, water tubes (those funky little things you get a Target for a couple bucks that fit in the palm of your hand), playdoh, etc.